Structural toy



Oct. 2, 1934.

J. J. CAV:4\NAGH STRUCTURAL TOY Filed .April 25, 1953 INVENTOR .fohn J Uavanzzyk BY WwQZ' ATTORN EYS 30 W eral forms of the invention, while the claims mark Patented Oct. 2, 1934 UNITED STATES :P'ATENTI? OFFICE STRUCTURAL TOY John J. Cavanagh,

Farmingdale, N. Y.

Application April 25, 1933, Serial No. 667,801

4 Claims.

5 and amusing to a child.

Broadly, the invention comprehends the incorporation in certain members of a structural toy of means for detachably associating elements therewith which serve to decorate the toy and 1Q which elements are of such a character that they of a structural toy, by virtue of which decorative elements may be readily emplaced or removed by and at the whim of a child in order to make for an additional feature which appeals to the fancy of the child.

More specifically, the invention resides in structural toy members which are so constructed or fashioned as to provide co-operative depressed portions and pairs of resilient tongues which jointly function as means for removably receiving and holding the decorative elements against casual or unintentional displacement while permitting of their intentional removal when desired.

With these and other objects in view, reference is made to the following specification and accompanying drawing, in which there is disclosed sevout and define the actual scope thereof.

In the drawing: Figure 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of a .35 structural toy made up of assembled members with certain of the members having decorative elements applied thereto.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary vertical longitudinal sectional view taken approximately on the line indicated at 2-2 in Figure 3.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary horizontal longitudinal sectional View taken approximately on the line indicated at 33 of Figure 2.

Referring to the drawing by characters of reference, A, B and C designate members of a structural toy, which members are designed to be assembled to build up and produce various articles,

in the present instance the article shown being in the form of a wagon or vehicle in which A is the body member, B the wheels and C plates applied to the sides and ends of the body member.

In accordance with the present invention decorative elements D of any desired configuration may be employed and may assume various forms 5 5 but for the purpose of the present disclosure,

said elements D are in the form of spheres or marbles which may be separately played with when detached from the members of the structuralitoy. Asshown the plate members C are provided with suitable means for detachably affixing the elements D thereto so that they may be readily empla'ced or removed. The means as illustrated consists of pairs of resilient tongues 5 which are cut, bent and formed from the material from which the plate members C are constructed. In forming the tongues, slots 6 are produced in the plate C which are disposed in a cooperative relation to the tongues and the slots function in the capacity of depressions which partially receive the elements D so as to prevent their unintentional or casual displacement, the tongues functioning to grip or clamp the elements D and impinge them against the side edges of the slots or depressions. Preferably the marbles or elements D are emplaced and displaced by lat,-

eral or sidewise movement in either direction with reference to the length of the tongues and slots or depressions. The plate member C may be secured to the sides of the body member A in the usual manner employed in structural toys, that is, by bolts and nuts '7 and 8 which engage through apertures 9 in the plates and slots 10 in. the body member. The marbles or elements D may be made up in various colors and shades so that the child, in decorating an assembled article,

may use his imagination in the selection of a color scheme.

The members B which are in the form of wheels have a slightly varied form of means for receiving and holding the marbles or elements D. As shown the disc-like body 11 of the wheel is formed with a concentrically ofiset portion 12 defining a depression conforming generally to the shape and size of the elements D and a pair of tongues 13 are cut, bent and formed so as to extend inwardly and partially overlie the offset or depressed central portion in appropriately spaced relation thereto. The resilient tongues 13 cooperate with the depressed or offset portion in a manner similar to that in which the tongues 5 of the plate member C co-operate with the slots 6. In this form of the invention the elements D serve in the capacity of decorative hub caps for the wheels and conceal or cover the hub sleeves 14 which receive the axles 15.

The plate members C may be provided, if desired, with longitudinally extending ribs 16 particularly where the said plates are of considerable length and there is a tendency of the same to flex. The ribs render the plates rigid so as to avoid flexing thereof and a consequent tendency to release the element D. As shown the ribs are disposed parallel to the longitudinal edges and are formed by an offset beading.

From the foregoing it will thus be seen that an improvement in structural toys has been devised which adds considerably to the attractivenessof the toy. While there has been disclosed several embodiments of the invention to demonstrate the possibilities thereof it is to be understood that variations and modifications which fall in the range of the appended claims may be resorted to when desired.

What is claimed is:

1. In a structural toy which comprises members adapted to be assembledto build various articles, means for decorating the assembled articles including toy elements capable of being played with independently of the membersand cooperative depressed portions and resilient fingers on certain of the members for detachably holding the elements on the members against unintentional displacement.

2. In a structural toy which includes members adapted to be assembled for building various artisaid depressed portion constituting co-operative means for detachably connecting therewith, a decorative toy element.

4. YA structural toy member having a slotted portion and integral oifset resilient fingers extending towards each other, partially overlying the slotted portion and spaced therefrom to define co-operative means for receiving and detachably .connecting with .the member, a decorative element :adapted tobe clamped between the fin-v gers anddetained thereby inthe slotted portion.

JOHN J. CAVANAGH. 

